David Bowie ?– Heroes- (Detailed Description Below)

There Was A Later Version Of Heroes,With Dave's RCA In the Matrix Which Sold On EIL.COM For £195.00 On The 4th Of February.

This Is The Very First UK Contract Pressing. 

A Rare Item, & A Bargain At The Price! 

UK Buyers Only

From A Non Smoking Home

Tracklist

Companies, etc.

• Phonographic Copyright (p) – RCA Records
• Copyright (c) – RCA Ltd.
• Manufactured By – RCA Ltd.
• Published By – Bewlay Bros. Music
• Published By – Fleur Music
• Published By – E.G. Music Ltd.
• Published By – 100 MPH Music
• Recorded At – Hansa Tonstudios
• Mixed At – Mountain Studios
• Mastered At – Sterling Sound
• Pressed By – Island Records Manufacturing Ltd

Credits

• Backing Vocals – Antonia Maass, David Bowie, Tony Visconti
• Bass – George Murray
• Engineer – Colin Thurston, Tony Visconti
• Engineer [Assistant] – David Richards, Eugene Chaplin
• Lead Guitar – Robert Fripp
• Mastered By – gc*
• Percussion – Dennis Davis
• Photography By [Cover Photograph] – Sukita*
• Producer – David Bowie, Tony Visconti
• Rhythm Guitar – Carlos Alomar
• Synthesizer, Keyboards, Effects [Guitar Treatments] – Eno*
• Vocals, Keyboards, Guitar, Saxophone, Koto – David Bowie
• Written-By – Eno* (tracks: B3, B4), Bowie* (tracks: A1, A2, A4 to B4)

Notes

Barcode and Other Identifiers

• Price Code: ZZ
• Matrix / Runout (Stamped/Etched sides A/B, all variants): STERLING gc.
• Matrix / Runout (Etched side A, variant 1): I-24 PL-12522-A-2 A2 A?F?L?-1?-2?5?2?2?-A?
• Matrix / Runout (Etched side B, variant 1): I-22 PL-12522-B-2 A?F?L?-1?-2?5?2?2?-B? A5

• Click to zoom

The early pressing history of “Heroes” is a little confusing because the majority of copies bought in the UK were actually pressed in Italy. [Elvis Presley had just died and RCA presses in the UK were churning out his back catalogue and Greatest Hits to meet the surge in demand].

So, apart from a tiny number of initial copies, the original pressings of "Heroes" available in UK were made in Italy. The Italian copies are relatively common and are easy to tell apart from UK pressings because the labels and covers both mention that the vinyl is made in Italy and the labels are beige/tan in colour and not orange.

RCA also released some UK-pressed, orange label contract pressings with the same A2/B2 matrixes found on the Italian copies. They are easy to identify because the label mouldings are different and, like the Italian copies, there are no quote marks around the word "Heroes" on the labels. This is one of those hard-to-find contract pressings.

It has the following matrix information:

Side 1:   PL 12522 A-2    (AFL12522-A crossed out)

Side 2:   PL 12522 B-2    (AFL12522-B crossed out)

Both sides are also stamped with STERLING and, unlike later pressings, it has no "Dave's R.C.A" etching.

Most orange label UK pressings have the quote marks restored and include the cryptic message in the run out grooves on side 2 which say "Dave's R.C.A."  - a reference to the fact that, with Elvis dead, Bowie was now RCA's biggest star.

Description

Vinyl: The vinyl has retained its original sheen. I have played the entire album and it plays really well with very little to report. There is no background noise in the run-ins/outs, fades, silent grooves and intros, nothing significant anywhere. For side one there is nothing else to add and so I would play-grade side one as Excellent. Side two has the three quiet instrumentals and so is always harder to find with great audio,although this one sounds superb.

Audio grading overall is Excellent.

A Rare Record, That's Very Difficult  To Find In This Condition!

Cover is in Near Mint Condition & has been kept in a plastic sleeve from new!

Insert: Minimal signs of handling or use. In excellent condition!

Inner sleeve: Plain